Spitfire Christmas
by missgotham
Summary: It's Christmas Eve and Wally West (Kid Flash) has done something to upset his girlfriend, Artemis Crock. The problem? He doesn't know what he did. Will he be able to figure it out before Christmas and save his relationship? With help from Connor (Superboy) and Dick (Robin/Nightwing) he just might! (Rated T for language)
1. Chapter 1

"Screw you, Wally West!" Artemis screamed as she stepped through the door.

"Merry fucking Christmas, Crock!" I yelled back at her as the door slammed in my face.

I sat back down on my couch and sighed. I didn't mean what I had just said, right? Artemis would understand. She wouldn't leave me alone on Christmas...

And for the first time in our relationship, I wasn't sure if she would give me another chance. But where had this all gone wrong?

I closed my eyes and laid down on the couch. I couldn't go sleep in the bed. It would smell like her and it would remind me of her and then-

"Jeez, West. Get it together." I scolded myself.

It was my fault though. So, I did the only thing I could really think of. I picked up the phone and dialed the number to the mansion. Within half an hour, Connor, Dick, and Connor were all sitting in the apartment.

"Nice going, West." Connor muttered.

Dick elbowed him, "Shut it, Connor. Wally needs support."

"Dude, this is _so_ your fault." Connor said.

"I know." I sighed with my head in my hands. "I know. But I need to know how it came to this and when things went wrong so I can fix it."

"Umm... You know you can't time travel, right?" Dick asked cautiously.

"Well yeah. I just don't know what I did. Maybe if I take a few steps back we can figure it out."

Connor yawned, "Well, let's get started. I don't have all night."

"Right... Connor has a date tomorrow." Dick said with a smirk.

"It's not a date! I am simply seeing a movie and having dinner with a friend." Connor pouted, color rising to his cheeks.

"And that friend happens to be M'gann." Dick adjusted his sunglasses.

"How do you find out about this stuff?!" Connor asked, dumbfounded.

"Okay, on any other occasion, I would love to hear about Connor's love life, but Artemis is my priority." I interrupted before Dick could reply.

"How about you start with the beginning of this month?" Dick suggested.

I nodded and memories came flooding back.

DECEMBER 1

Artemis and I are in a Christmas tree lot trying to find the perfect tree for our apartment. We have been searching for over an hour and I am starting to freeze.

"Artemis it's cold. How about we get some coffee and find a tree tomorrow night?" I suggest.

"But it's December 1st." She pouts. "We have to get it tonight."

"Okay." I oblige.

We continue to search the lot. Eventually Artemis, finds this tree that's perfect. It's short enough to fit in our apartment and it's this beautiful shade of green. The only problem is the price. We're both digging through our wallets and pockets pulling out every dollar we find.

We eventually pay and I help the man working at the lot tie the tree to our car. The ropes are tightened and I join Artemis in the car. We turn the heat on and start the drive back home.

"Looks like there won't be coffee tonight." Artemis laughs, showing me her empty wallet.

I chuckle a bit before kissing her cheek.

We drive back home and struggle to carry the tree into our apartment. I try to set the tree up while Artemis starts to make hot chocolate in place of coffee. I put the tree up as straight as possible and sit down on the couch next to Artemis. She hands me my mug and we enjoy the peace for a moment. As she rests her head on my shoulder, she yawns.

"You tired?" I turn to her.

She nods and I pick her up and carry her back to our bedroom.

CURRENT DAY

"So..." Dick starts. "That's all that happened that day?"  
"Yeah. She was with M'gann most of the day." I shrug.

I lean back on the couch and my head starts to throb. How could I not know what I did to make the woman I love so angry?


	2. Chapter 2

ARTEMIS POV

Standing on the street after my fight with Wally, I realize I don't know where I am going to stay. Zatanna is not an option. M'gann still lives in the cave and there is a chance of me seeing Wally there. Of course, I could always go back and stay with Mom...

After an hour walk, I find my way down my old street and knock on the door. Blue paint is peeling from the old house and white paint is chipped off the fence. The floor boards on the porch squeak under my feet as I wait for someone to answer the door. The person to come to the door is the last person I expect to see.

Jade is standing in the doorway.

"Mom!" She calls back in the house. "It's Artemis."

Our mother rolls her wheelchair to the doorway and she cries a bit. I lean down to give her a hug and I find a baby in her arms. I immediately stand back up and take a step back.

"Who...? What...?" I ask, more confused than ever.

"Right. This is Lian, my daughter." Jade explains, rolling her eyes.

"Your _what?_"

And then, another person I don't expect to see shows up. Roy Harper appears and stands next to my older sister. Suddenly, I see the resemblance in Jade's daughter. Lian has her mom's pitch black hair, but her dad's eyes.

"Oh no. Please tell me the two of you-" I start.

"Yup." Roy cuts me off.

Mom leads me inside and we all sit down in the living room. Jade takes Lian back and rocks her in her arms. Who knew she was the motherly type.

"I thought you left this family." I accuse Jade.

"I still visit from time to time. And I didn't expect to see you here tonight. Where's lover boy?" Jade replies.

I look away, "We had a fight..."

"Want me to kill him?" Jade asks as casually as if she were asking for a Christmas cookie.

"No!" I say.

"Fine. Can I at least kick his ass?" Jade suggests.

I give her the death glare and Roy covers his daughter's ears from Jade's bad language.

Mom says she would be happy to let me stay here and she heads off for bed. Jade decides she wants some tea and tells Roy to bring some home. He doesn't know where he is supposed to find her tea, so Jade goes with him to give him directions. And this leaves me alone with Lian.

I've never been a huge fan of children. I never know what to do when I have to take care of them. Wally, on the other hand, loves kids. They loved him back too. They would climb all over him and beg him to tell them stories and-

I look down and realize I have the phone in my hand. I had almost called Wally. I put the phone back on the counter and scolded myself. I set Lian down in my lap and she giggles.

"Never get a boyfriend, Lian. They're trouble." I sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

WALLY POV

"If we're gonna be here all night, I'm ordering some pizza. And soup. Do they deliver soup? Connor asks.

Ignoring his question, Dick asks me, "Okay, well what happened later that week?"

"Well Artemis got sick..."

DECEMBER 2

I walk up into our apartment from the storage area of our building. I carry a box of ornaments for the tree. I enter the living room and Artemis is laying on the couch. She is covered in blankets with a box of tissues next to her.

"Arty, do you feel okay?" I ask.

"Oh yes. I feel absolutely wonderful." She is even sarcastic when she's sick.

I immediately go into 'Helpful Boyfriend Mode" and start to cook some soup. I grab her a few extra blankets. But I can't find the cold medicine. I search every cabinet and drawer in the apartment without any luck. I debate whether or not I want to leave Artemis (and the soup) to go get cold medicine. Artemis sniffles on the couch. The blankets rustle a bit before she finds a comfortable position again. I wait for the soup to finish before I hand her some and leave to get the cold medicine. I walk down a few streets to the pharmacy and look for cold medicine. I'm reading the back of one of the boxes when someone taps me on the back of the shoulder. I turn and see Zatanna standing behind me. She holds a box of sleeping pills.

"Zee? What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Oh just picking up some pills. Haven't been sleeping well lately." She hugs me. "What about you?"

"Artemis has a cold. Is something wrong?"

Her eyes aren't the clear blue that they normally are and her skin looks sickly pale. Zatanna and I have never been super close, but I can tell that something isn't quite right. We were part of the original team together and she's a friend of Arty's. I know I should be there for her.

"Things have been stressful lately." She says with a sad smile. "Don't worry about it."

I'm not sure what to say, so I try being supportive, "If you ever need anything just let me know, okay?"

"Thanks Wally." She says and I nod.

I leave the pharmacy with two boxes of cold medicine and make my way back to the apartment. I make a quick stop to pick a milkshake up for Artemis, although I know it is December. No matter what month it is or what time of day, Artemis has always loved milkshakes when she's sick. Medicine and milkshake in hand, I trudge up the stairs of our apartment building and find Artemis laying on the couch watching some British comedy show.

I hand her the pills and her milkshake and soon she is asleep. A stare at the sleeping blonde wrapped in a cocoon of blankets and wonder how our witty (okay, she was witty, I was stupid) banter became the best thing to ever happen to me. Artemis was there when I needed her and she never let me get away with anything.

When I was told to find my own little spitfire, I admit, I first thought of M'gann. Mostly because she was the type of girl I was comfortable with. It wasn't until later that I realized that Kent Nelson had been talking about Artemis. And at first, I was terrified. She seemed to hate me and I had started to think about her more and more. We probably never would have admitted anything if not for Dick. He basically tricked us into admitting our mutual feelings.

Then, Artemis begins to move.

"Thanks Wally." She says, but is barely audible.

"I love you." I smile a bit.

"Love you too." And she drifts back off to sleep.

CURRENT DAY

"She's my spitfire..." I mutter to myself.

"What?" Dick asks.

I reply mumbling a pathetic 'nothing' and slowly take a slice of the pizza Connor ordered. I take a nibble before setting it down. I can't eat. Not when my spitfire and I are fighting.


	4. Chapter 4

ARTEMIS POV

I sit in the kitchen with Lian on my lap. I check the clock and take a Christmas cookie off the counter. I take a bite, enjoying the sweet, sugary taste and Lian reaches up towards my cookie with her chubby toddler arms. I take a piece off, making sure it's small enough for her to eat without choking. The last thing I want to do is kill Jade and Roy's daughter. They would not be easy to deal with. I hand the piece to Lian and she eats it, getting a bit of frosting on her face. I wipe it off and we giggle a bit. I start to realize she's pretty quiet for a toddler.

Must be from Roy's genes.

After our cookie, I take Lian back to the couch and turn on the TV.  
"What should we watch?" I ask her.

No reply. Obviously. I'm talking to a baby for crying out loud. I must be losing my sanity if I'm asking a toddler what to watch on TV. I blame Wally for this. If he hadn't been such an idiot (or at least less idiotic) then I wouldn't be here, babysitting my niece, and talking to her as if I would get a response.

I decide on watching some crime show and point out all the flaws the writers made. I wonder if I should worry about Lian giggling when the gunshots go off and when one lawyer gets punched in the face. I shake my head, knowing this is totally genetic. Knowing Jade, she probably already introduced her daughter to Vietnamese soap operas when Roy wasn't around. And those get pretty violent.

Lian and I end up going on a mini crime show marathon. I solve the crimes before the actors do and Lian claps her little hands at the violence. The marathon ends after about 3 hour long episodes and we are both disappointed. At least, I think she is. I don't really know for sure. She looks at me expectantly after the final episode.

Somehow, we get on the topic of Wally.

"He acted all confused, but he knew what he did!" I explain.

Lian looks up at me with big eyes.

"And it's Christmas Eve! Things should be happy and calm and... Not like this!"

My rant goes on for a few more minutes until Jade and Roy walk back in, both without cups. They said they were going for tea and coffee right? No cups... Flushed faces... Gross.

"Are you talking to my daughter about your love life?" Jade asks with eyes narrowed.

"No! I'm not that pathetic." I lie, but the color rising to my face says otherwise.

Roy defensively picks up his daughter and hands her to Jade. Lian yawns and Jade leaves to put her to bed. This leaves me and Roy alone. Oh joy.

"So," He clears his throat. "Do you need me to talk to Wally or something?"

"NO!" I reply. "I don't need you involved with my relationship."  
"So there is still a relationship." I see the ghost of a smile form on his lips.

"No! I mean yes! I don't know!" I'm flustered. "It's complicated and none of your business."  
"Alright." He walks out of the room, probably to join Jade, and I swear I see him smirking.

**Sorry this chapter is so short. I started it a bit late today. Thanks for the reviews :)**

**~MissGotham**


	5. Chapter 5

I stare out the tree Artemis had picked out. The needles have begun to die a drop off the tree a bit. Dick clears his throat, interrupting my train of thought.

"So... What else happen?"

"We ended up decorating the tree later in the week."

DECEMBER 7

Artemis puts another box of ornaments on the table and I wrap lights around the tree. I speed around the tree, careful not to knock it over, and the lights are up. I turn them on to check the power and the lights glow off the tree, shining white light around the room.

Relieved that the lights work, I hand an ornament to Artemis. We start to decorate the tree, ornaments of all shapes, sizes, and colors being put up on the tree. A small arrow ornament, a candy cane, and a frog are put up first. Suddenly, a glittery, black ornament catches my eye.

"Hey Artemis... Look what I found!" I say giddily.

In my hand, I hold a Batman ornament.

"Oh no. Not this year." She glares and tries to take it from me.

I quickly put the Batman decoration on the tree and smile proudly.

"It's so creepy though! Like it's glaring and always watching." Artemis looks at it, eyes full of disdain.

"He is always watching!" I say while trying to keep the smirk off my lips.

I catch Artemis trying to move Batman a few times, but I continue to put it back up. Artemis puts more ornaments up and I go into the kitchen to make some coffee. I bring it back over and hand it to her. Immediately, I notice the Batman ornament is missing.

"Arty..." I say slowly, eyes narrowed, "Where is the Batman ornament?"

"Oh, somewhere." A mischievous grin plays on her lips.

I search the room for Batman with no luck. I pout while Artemis is smiling victoriously. We place more ornaments on the tree. A snowman takes the place of Batman. I pull out a small photo frame with a hook on it. It shows the Team and I smile to myself. In the photo, Artemis and I are glaring at each other, M'gann's eyes are wandering over to look at Connor, and Kaldur is grinning next to Dick. Those were good days, I think while putting the photo on the tree.

We finish the tree and take a photo to send to Dick. It's absolutely beautiful. My phone vibrates and I check my new text, expecting it to be from Dick.

ZATANNA: Hey Wally, can we hang tomorrow?

I reply saying yes, and tell Artemis I'm going off to take a shower. She nods and turns the TV on. I go into the bathroom and turn on the hot water. Yawning, I strip and grab my towel. I hang it and hop into the shower, letting the warm water hit my back. I turn to splash some of the water and I immediately scream.

"Holy shit!" I curse.

There, hung on the shower head, is the Batman Ornament. I can hear Artemis dying of laughter in the next room over.


	6. Chapter 6

ARTEMIS POV

I say goodnight to Lian and head to my own room. I've only just met my niece, but I already love her. She's so innocent, hasn't been introduced to the outside world yet, not including the Vietnamese soap operas that I'm positive my sister watches daily. But I know the innocence won't last forever.

I know that whether she likes it or not, Lian had been born into a horribly terrifying world. A world filled with villains and heroes. She'll have to choose eventually and Jade can be very persuasive. Lian has been brought into a world where people can't trust each other or reply on one another. It's every girl for herself.

I find myself walking out of my room. I wander the halls like a ghost and find Lian asleep in a crib. I look at the peacefulness and wish I could be that relaxed.

"You're not going to grow up to be an assassin. You're going to be a good, strong girl and everything is going to be okay." I whisper.

I enter my room again and lay down. Thoughts flood through my mind like a river and I wish I could just make them stop. I don't want to think or feel right now. I pull the covers up to my chest and hold them close. It's been awhile since I've slept alone. The room is dark and shadows sway across the walls. For a minute, I'm scared. The shadows take the shape of everything I'm afraid of and I swear I hear voices.

I need to calm myself down. I take deep breathes and think happy thoughts. Old memories pass through my mind and they all involve Wally somehow. Not helpful. The shadows fade back to being shadows and I breathe easier.

This is all Wally's fault. If it weren't for him I wouldn't be here alone being afraid of shadows. Then again, I also wouldn't know Lian existed or that my sister is dating Roy Harper. Maybe this is a sign that leaving him was the right thing to do. Maybe I am better off alone.

Or this confusion has me losing my mind.

This is absolutely ridiculous. It's Christmas eve! I should be asleep, excited to spend the day with the people I love tomorrow. But of course not. The life of Artemis Crock could never be that simple. It's like whenever something was starting to go well, it ended or something bad would happen. Why couldn't I just be happy for a little while?  
And now I am fighting off tears. The well up in my eyes and I try to blink them back. I eventually give up and the tears are everywhere. I silently cry for everything. For Jade, for my parents, for hurting the Team when I didn't mean to, but mostly for Wally.

I tell myself to be strong, but it doesn't help. I guess I've been holding this in longer than I thought.

My pillow is beyond damp by the time my body runs out of tears. I flip it over to the dry side and close my eyes. Wally's face appears and all the times we've shared come back. He's stupid and sweet and funny and my heart aches.

But I know what he did. And after that, I don't think I can go back.


	7. Chapter 7

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hi everyone. I would like to say thank you all SO MUCH for all the reviews and for taking the time to read my story. I have been asked multiple times what Wally did and here is my answer; You will find out in following chapters. The story is basically supposed to be Wally backtracking the days of December to figure out what made Artemis mad and Artemis slowly thinking of how to deal with the aftermath. Feel free to PM me if you have other questions.**

**~MissGotham**

**P.S. Yes, I ship Kaldur and Zatanna**

WALLY POV

"I still don't see what I did wrong!" I groan.

"Neither do I..." Dick admits.

We look at Connor for an answer but he's too busy eating soup and pizza. Of course, how would he know?

"Just keep backtracking, maybe nothing has really happened yet." Dick suggests with a small, reassuring smile.

DECEMBER 8

Artemis left early in the morning to go Christmas shopping with M'gann. I wake up and shower. My stomach grumbles and I try to ignore the gnawing feeling. I am meeting Zatanna for brunch and eating before would be considered rude, right? But I am starving, so I have an energy bar and leave the apartment.

I walk around the city, searching for the cafe Zatanna told me to meet her at. I turn corners and cross streets, not having any luck. The December wind blows my hair back and I zip my jacket up.

I eventually see Zatanna standing outside of a small cafe and I greet her. She smiles with that same sad smile from when we were at the pharmacy. We hug and walk inside. She orders tea and I order coffee, eggs, bacon, and 3 different types of toast.

"So what's up?" I ask.

"Kaldur and I broke up."

"What?" I raise my eyebrows. "Why?"  
"I don't know... He has a lot going on and I do too and I don't think he's over Tula still." She explains.

This comes as a major shock to me. But then I start to think... Why would Zatanna come to me? I'm not a close friend of hers. Artemis and Dick haven't mentioned this to me and they're closer to Zee than I am. I'm not sure what to say, so I sympathize, something Barry taught me to do when my girlfriend was complaining or something. I had never had to use this with Artemis, and it felt strange using it now.

She drinks her tea and starts to explain everything. I nod and listen like a good friend and ask questions. The conversation becomes more comfortable and before I know it, it's already 1 o clock.

"Damn it." I mutter. "I have to go, I promised Artemis we would make Christmas cookies this afternoon."

"Okay. Thanks for everything Wally." Zatanna looks at me with gratitude.

"How about we do something fun tomorrow? We could try ice skating." I suggest.

"Yeah, that sounds fun." She grins.

I leave the cafe already excited for tomorrow. The walk back to my apartment and it's still freezing. I walk quickly and find Artemis already in the apartment.

"Don't look I'm wrapping presents!" She puts her arms in front of the bags.

I laugh, "We're still making cookies later?"  
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." She smiles.


	8. Chapter 8

**Note from the Author: Hello lovely readers. You all are very clever and I hope your day was wonderful. Have a good week:)**

**~MissGotham**

ARTEMIS POV

I can't sleep. I toss and turn. No luck. I grab extra blankets, get rid of them, throw off all the covers. Not helpful. I try to count sheep and that doesn't do me any good either. I watch the numbers turn on the clock next to the bed.

11:57

11:58

11:59

12:00

"Merry Christmas." I murmur to myself.

I must somewhere in between sleeping and being awake because I am in the same room, but my cell phone is ringing. I pick it up and the caller ID says WALLY3 I answer immediately.

"Wally?" My voice stays calm.

"Arty? Oh God, Arty I'm so sorry. Baby, I wasn't thinking and it wasn't what you thought it was." He talks quickly. "Shit... Arty, please come home."

And then I can't keep the emotion out of my voice, "Then what was it?"

I hear a noise.

The whole phone call from Wally must have been a dream of some sorts because I snap out of it as soon as I hear a small crash coming from outside my room. I grab a my extra bow and some arrows from the closet and head out.

The light is on in the kitchen and I slowly tip toe my way through the hall. The wallpaper is starting to peel and the wood floors are scratched. I choose my footing carefully, attempting to avoid all of the creaking floor boards. I set up my arrow and shoot at the intruder.

And he catches my arrow.

Standing in the kitchen with my arrow in one hand and two Christmas cookies in the other is Roy. He's in plaid pajama pants and no shirt. I roll my eyes. Wonderful.

"Amateur shot." He says.

"Whatever. I thought someone broke in." I glare at him. "What are you doing anyways?"

"I ate all the Christmas cookies Jade made so she put me on a 'one cookie limit' while we're visiting your mom."

I stare at him disapprovingly.

"What are you doing up?"

"I can't sleep, isn't that obvious?"

I sigh and he hands me a cookie. I munch on it and knit my eyebrows together.

"Look, I don't know what Wally did, but I'm betting he isn't aware that he did it." Roy tries to explain.

"That's what he was saying! But how could he not know?" I say angrily.

"Well what did he do?"  
"He cheated on me," I sniffle and feel tears welling up in my eyes. "With Zatanna."

"Isn't she with Kaldur?" He asks.

I shake my head, "They broke up."

And soon I am telling Roy everything. Not because I trust him, or because I want to be friends, but because I've been holding it in too long. I tell him about meeting Zatanna for brunch, ice skating, Christmas shopping, Everything. And he doesn't judge. He nods his head and listens to me explain.

"Wally can be a bonehead sometimes." Roy says when I finish. "But he really loves you. I don't think he would honestly cheat on you with Zatanna."  
"I didn't want to believe it, but after everything I saw, I can't take it." I choke back tears.

"Go to bed Artemis. Everyone will be up for Christmas in a few hours and you'll need your rest." Roy pulls me into an awkward hug.

I take my bow and arrow and stumble back to my room. I want to believe Roy and Wally, but part of me just can't. I curl up in the bed and tears silently fall down my cheeks onto the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Hello lovely readers. Have questions or theories? PM me! Thanks everyone:) I am so sorry I didn't post this yesterday, but my internet was down all day long. Thank you for being patient. **

**~MissGotham**

WALLY POV

"Zatanna..." Robin mutters.

"What?" I ask.

"Do you think it's possible that Artemis thought you..." His voice drifts off. "Nevermind. What happened the rest of the day?"  
"We made our Christmas cookies... She asked about brunch and I asked about her Christmas shopping."

"Did you tell her you were with Zatanna?" Connor asks, last piece of pizza in his hand.

"No..." I reply remorsefully.

DECEMBER 9

Artemis pulls out the cookie dough from the freezer and I pop some in my mouth. She swats me with a dish towel and takes some for herself. I get out the cookie cutters and the rolling pin. I hand them to her, knowing she would not trust me with the cookies.

Soon, little cookie Santas and trees and reindeer are in the oven.

"So how was brunch?" Artemis asks.

"Good. How was wrapping presents?" I smile.

"I'm almost done." She says proudly.

We pass time watching Christmas specials on TV and soon I start to smell something strange. I sniff around and Artemis looks at me strangely.

"Arty... How long have the cookies been in the oven?"

"Shit!" She cries.

We both run over the kitchen were the cookies are smoking in the oven. She pulls them out quickly and the smell of smoke makes me nauseous. The burning cookies are soon in the trash, but the smell of smoke continues to inhabit out apartment.

"At least we didn't put all of them in at once." I grin a bit.

"Well this is memorable." She strains a smile.

The rest of the cookies turn out fine and Artemis finally lets me help with my favorite part; decorating. I grab every color of frosting I can find and tons of sprinkles. It's go big or go home when it comes to Wally West cookies. I focus very hard on making my cookies looks fabulous and by the time I finish my first one, Artemis has done four. I stick my tongue out in concentration and she laughs at me. I stick some frosting on her nose and she glares at me with grey-blue eyes.

"You wanna play that game West?" She smirks wickedly. "I can play."  
"Crap." I mutter before running around the kitchen, avoiding the frosting Artemis attempts to put on me.

Frosting is soon covering our small kitchen. Artemis has green streaks of frosting in her hair and red frosting covers my face. It seems that we are wearing more icing than the cookies. I stuff one in my mouth and hand her one. They are dry, so I dip the cookie in the frosting covering my face.

"You're a pig." She says, barely audible form the cookie in her mouth and laughing too hard.

I take a bow and bring her in for a hug. I am soon covered in even more frosting and so is she. I bring her in for a kiss, but instead she dumps the remaining can of frosting on my head. My ginger hair has turned green and white. She looks at me like an innocent child and I steal my kiss from her.

So much frosting has never gone to such waste, but neither of us care.


	10. Chapter 10

**NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Just some quick drabble with Artemis talking to herself. Enjoy. Or don't. **

**~MissGotham**

**P.S. if you get my reference you get a cookie. **

"You need to go to bed."  
"Shut up. Your boyfriend just cheated on you with a girl you thought you were friends with."

"Go. To. Sleep."  
"Or we could stay up on Christmas eve drowning in self pity."

"Or we could do that."

"He left us."  
"Are we still together?"

_"BABY ARE WE OVER NOOOOW?"_

"If you continue that singing I don't see why it wasn't over a while ago."

"Not helpful."  
"You know what's fun?"  
"What?"  
"Listing all your bad qualities!"  
"Okay. We are very stubborn."  
"And not all that attractive."  
"We don't like little kids."  
"We have a sucky family."  
"Very true, very true."

"Honestly, we didn't know Jade had a daughter with Roy."  
"Or that she was visiting Mom."  
"Christmas cookies sound good right now."  
"No, we've had enough."  
"We can never have too many Christmas cookies."

"Go to bed."

"Goodnight."


	11. Chapter 11

WALLY POV

"What a waste of frosting..." Dick sighed.

"Whatever it was worth it."

Connor had left and Dick was still trying to figure out what happened. No luck so far.

"What happened when you went ice skating with Zee?"  
DECEMBER 11

I woke up the next morning with Artemis asleep next to me. Her thick, blonde hair covered most of her face and it moved a bit when she breathed. Trying not to wake her, I slowly got out of bed and got dressed. I left a note for her on the kitchen counter and left.

I picked up coffee and 3 muffins on my way to the skating rink and finished all the food off within 10 minutes. I saw Zee waiting for me in a purple coat and white hat covering her dark hair. I wave and she gestures for me to come join her.

We get our skates and waddle onto the rink. I have to take her hand in order for the both of us to stand up. We shuffle along, barely keeping out balance. I start to slip and soon I'm on the ground and Zatanna is close to on top of me. She laughs awkwardly and we get back up.

"So..." I say. "Are you okay?"  
She shrugs, "I don't really know. I have to keep myself distracted."

"Just call me up whenever you need a distraction." I smile.

Zee smiles back and we continue to scoot around the rink, children and couples passing us. Soon, a little girl is tugging on my jacket.  
"Your girlfriend is pretty." She give me a gap toothed grin.

"Oh she's not-" I try to say.

"Thank you." Zatanna replies to the little girl.

The girl giggles and skates off to her dad. I look at Zatanna in confusion.

"It's better to just let them assume things than waste time explaining." She says quietly.

Before I can think about what she just said, she whisks me off and we skate around.

After falling multiple times, we finally give up. We return the skates and pick up some coffee. My whole body is freezing and Zatanna is shivering. I sip my coffee and look at her.  
We sit in silence for a while before she says she needs to leave. I say goodbye and Zee disappears into the crowd.

I take the long way back home, walking slowly. People pass me, but I don't care. I need time to think. I worry that Zatanna is interested, but I then I remember she's probably on rebound. Kaldur and her had been together for a really long time, so I understand why she's hurt.

But the thought lingers in my mind. It floats to the back of my brain, where I don't want to see it. Artemis would be mad. No, she wouldn't be mad. She would be Holy-Bat-Shit-Crazy-Pissed. I shiver and pick up my pace a bit, wanting to escape the frigid wind.

I arrive back at the apartment where Artemis is sitting on the couch. She looks unhappy, so I ask her about it.

"I'm fine." She strains a smile, and I believe her.

Looking back, I shouldn't have believed the fake grin.


	12. Chapter 12

ARTEMIS POV

I fall into an uneasy sleep, only to toss and turn a lot. Being awake was almost better than being asleep. Here, I could see Wally clearly and memories played back like a movie. The first time I see Zatanna and Wally together is the only thing I see right now.

It's a cold morning and I wake up to find Wally gone. I yawn and put on one of his old sweatshirts. I trudge into the kitchen and find his note.

_Hey babe,_

_I'm not gonna be home most of the morning._

_Don't wait up. _

_Love, _

_Wally _

I shrug and have some breakfast. I wrap a few more presents before I realize I still need to get something for M'gann. I take a shower and get dressed and then head out the door to finish my Christmas shopping.

The brisk air feels like someone pinching my cheeks and I put my scarf on. I walk through the crowd and pass multiple stores. I walk past an ice skating rink while walking downtown and I stop to catch my breath. I've always liked people watching and December was the best time to do it. Everyone out and about trying to get things done before Christmas or hanging out with family.

And then I see them.

At first, I think it's just some other ginger boy. But I get a better look and it's him. And he's holding hands with a dark haired girl in a purple/pink jacket. Zatanna? No. It couldn't be Zee. She wouldn't do this to me.

They fall and she is on top of him. I feel like screaming, but I know I'm in a public area, so I scream in my head. Everything seems to drop in my stomach and I'm not sure what to do.

Tell Wally that I know? Yell the hell out of both of them? Break up with Wally and end my friendship with Zee?

But I do nothing. I gather my thoughts and calm myself down. I take deep breathes and my breath can be seen in the frigid air. This isn't happening, I tell myself. I don't even know all the facts. Maybe they're just friends.

I want to believe what I am telling myself, but somehow the thought stays in the back of my mind. I decide to head home, not wanting Wally to get there before me. I wipe away the tears welling up in my eyes before they get too noticeable. I end up tripping on the sidewalk and an elderly lady stops to help me up.

"Are you okay, dearie?" She asks with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine." I choke back a sob.

She dusts the snow off my jacket and gives me a sympathetic smile, "Happy holidays."

"Thanks." I strain a smile.

And after that, I know I'm going to be faking many more smiles before Christmas.


	13. Chapter 13

WALLY POV

I look hopelessly at Dick. I feel like shit. My mind is blank and tired. There's a gnawing feeling in my stomach and my hands are shaking.

A light turns on in Dick's clear, blue eyes. He has found the problem. He must have. I raise an eyebrow at my best friend and his mouth hang open for a second.

"She..."

I nod, telling him to go on.

"Thinks you cheated on her with Zee."

Shit.

"I realized it a while ago, but I wanted to hear more just to see if there was more and if you did." He says slowly.

"Dick." I am serious for a moment. "I would never cheat on Artemis. Especially with Zatanna. We're just friends."

"I know! I was just checking."

How could I have been so stupid? God, West. Zatanna was fine as a friend, but no one could ever replace Artemis. Never. She was spitfire and she always would be. She told me when I was being idiotic and she put me in my place. I don't know where I would be today if I didn't have her. And now I don't.

"So, what am I gonna do?"

"Flowers, chocolate, now." Dick suggests.

"Dude... I should propose." I think aloud.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah! It's a sure way to get her back, right?! And I've been thinking about it and I have a ring and I was waiting for a later time but the time is NOW!" I explain rapidly.

"Wally. No." Dick sighs.

"Why not?"  
"This needs to be planned out." Dick rubs his temple.

"It is planned out!" I protest.

Dick says something else, but I don't hear him. I run to my room and take my shirt off. I grab my suit and tie from the closet and fix my ginger hair. This is going to work. I open my sock drawer and fish around for the ring box. I feel the velvet and pull it out. I stuff the small red box into my pocket and Dick stares at me in disbelief.

"You're serious about this?" He asks.

I nod and a gleam of hope goes through my mind.

He sighs again, "Okay. I'm your best friend and if this is what you want to do, I'll back you up."

"Thanks, man." I grin.

"I know a flower place nearby that will open if we ask nicely. I've picked flowers up for Barbara there before and the owners know me." Dick says as we walk about the door, leaving Superboy asleep in my apartment.

We walk into the city, streets lit up by Christmas decorations. How could I have been so stupid? I scold myself the whole time we walk to the flower shop. Dick knocks on the door and a few minutes later an elderly Hispanic woman opens the door, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Dick says something in Spanish and the woman glares at him.

"Por favor?" He says sweetly.

The woman obliges and we walk in. My eye catches some red magnolias, Artemis' favorite. I scoop them up and bring them to the woman. I hand her some crumpled up dollar bills from my pocket. She yawns and wishes us "Merry Christmas," and we are gone.

I then realize that I have no idea where my girlfriend would have gone.

"Dick, I don't have any idea where she is..." I say sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." He takes out a Smartphone and taps wildly. "Well, she's not in the cave... I would have gotten an alert."

He continues typing and I take a deep breath. The cold December wind causes my hair to fly around and I assume it has become even messier than before.

"Got it. She's at her mom's." He puts the phone away.  
"What? How do you know?"

"Roy updated his Instagram. Artemis was in the picture."  
"She stood still long enough for him to take a picture?"

"Not exactly. It's just a little bit of her head, but you can tell it's her. Especially with Roy's caption, 'Christmas Eve with the rookie.'"

And with that, we're back walking. Two best friends, one preparing to propose to his girlfriend and the other helping him along the way.


End file.
